How to attract students who have just received their A-level results

Posted on Monday 14th August 2017

The adult social care sector needs to find enough workers to fill an extra 500,000 jobs by 2030 according to new data from Skills for Care’s Size and structure of the adult social care workforce report.

This week, thousands of young people will get their A-level results and will be deciding which career path to take.

It’s vital that the sector does more to inspire the next generation of care workers, to meet the growing demand for social care services.

There are lots of young people who have the right values and behaviours to work in social care, and they can provide new ideas, enthusiasm and a different perspective to your organisation.

Having the right recruitment strategies can help social care employers make the most out of results day. Here are some tips to help.

1. Plan for the future

In an ever-changing and growing sector, it’s vital that organisations look ahead and design their recruitment activities with the future in mind.

Use your National Minimum Data Set for Adult Social Care (NMDS-SC) account to record information about your workforce. It will help you develop informed workforce plans and recruitment strategies to meet future demands. And with information from over 23,000 care providing locations, you can compare your pay, turnover and vacancy rates with other providers. If you don’t already have an account, what are you waiting for - sign up now.

2. Identify positions suitable for school leavers and young people

Apprenticeships, traineeships and other school leaver programmes are a great way to attract young people, and develop their skills and knowledge whilst on the job.

You could also offer work placements or taster days to help young people better understand the role before they sign a contract. It also allows you to see if they have the right values and behaviours before they come and work for you.

3. Focus on values and behaviours in your job adverts

Lots of students won’t have previous experience or qualifications in social care, and they might be put off if you ask for these in your application.

Focusing on values and behaviours can help you find young people who have what it takes to work in social care, who might not have previously applied for your roles.

Remember, “you can teach knowledge and skills, you can’t teach values and behaviours.” Our online toolkit can help you do this.

4. Take a holistic approach to your advertising

Young people are more likely to use online methods and social media to look for a job. You could advertise your vacancies on social media such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, on your own website, and on careers websites such as Prospects, Not going to uni and Milkround.

There are also lots of places in your local community where you might find students with the right values and behaviours. Sign up to I Care…Ambassadors and build links with your local schools, colleges and community groups.

5. Tell young people what they want to know about your vacancy and organisation

Here are some of the key things young people might want to know about.

Opportunities to develop and learn on the job - for example a thorough induction and vocational qualifications.